EDUCATIONAL-POLICY ANALYSIS AND THE POLITICS OF INTERPRETATION - THE SEARCH FOR A WELL-DEFINED PROBLEM

The authors in this article report on and develop a methodology for pr oducing a well-defined problem in policy analysis. The methodology, wh ich is christened the ''evaluative context,'' is defined as an iterati ve process based on a series of checklist questions. It is given a the oretical background in the literature, and its genesis and development are discussed in connection with a number of practical projects in ea rlier sections of the article. Finally, the use of the methodology is exhibited in a recent project.